Congrats on your engagement babe! It’s already been a whole year since we got engaged and I have only taken the smallest steps into planning our wedding. There’s so much to do when it comes to planning a wedding. With so many decisions to be made, and me, the most indecisive person ever, I’m starting from the top – the very, very, very basics that are going to make this go as smoothly as possible. So, now with only a year and a half until our wedding date, there are a few important decisions I’ve already made, and some other things I need to decide. I’ve been keeping track in my little wedding planning book and Pinterest board, of all of my ideas and decisions so far. I’ve found there are 11 important things that you have to do BEFORE you start planning your wedding. So, if you’re a newly engaged bride to be who is already overwhelmed with planning, let’s start small and make these important decisions before the actual planning begins.
11 Things to do BEFORE You Start Planning Your Wedding
Pick Your Tribe
Picking your people is just as important as picking your dress, or any other part of your wedding. Your people, your wedding party, your advisory comity is going to be partially responsible for making your wedding perfect. Your wedding party is going to be there for you every step of the way: the engagement party, the planning, the bachelor(ette) parties, they will be there for it all. You should make this decision first as they can help you with the rest of these 11 things. But, before you go and ask all of your high school friends, cousins, and work buddies, think about who is going to help make your big day special.
Before asking someone to be in your wedding party, ask yourself these questions:
- Can they make the time (for planning, for the wedding day, and all other festivities)?
- Have they made time for me in the past 6 months?
- Is this person particularly drawn to drama?
- Are they supportive?
- Are they going to be able to be in the wedding? (no anxiety, financial problems, busy schedule, etc.)
- Is my wedding day going to be more special because they are standing by my side?
Your answers to these questions should give you a good sense of who is a good fit for your bridal party. Picking your wedding day tribe is the first thing you should do before planning your wedding.
Ready to pop the question to your bridesmaids? Check out my post on Creating my Bridesmaid Proposal Boxes HERE.
Big or Small Wedding
LaurenConrad.com
We all have the dream of our perfect wedding. Some of us like to think about the beautiful church wedding with the perfect 7-course meal, and others think of a private elopement in Hawaii. Talk to your future husband/wife and see if your dream weddings match. You should be able to come to an agreement on what your big day will look like.
Some things to think about are:
- How many people will attend (are we inviting everybody? Random people, or just close family?)
- Laid back or luxurious wedding (buffet/cocktail party or full course black tie affair?)
- Do I want it to be relaxed or a big party?
There are pros and cons to having big and small weddings. With a big wedding, you get the fun night surrounded by the love of hundreds of people – but you also get the huge tab from very distant relatives and more stress from planning. With an intimate wedding you are relaxed and get to enjoy your company – but you also have to cut the guest list and might end up causing hurt feelings.
Decide on the Location
ShowMeYourMumu.com
Your next step is to choose where you want to have your wedding. The location will also affect how many people will come to your wedding and how big your budget should be. Weddings that are out of town or out of the country tend to be very small, and typically only include immediate family and friends. Whereas in town or relatively close weddings involve fewer costs for guests and typically result in more attending responses on your RSVP cards.
Depending on the type of wedding you plan to have, who you want to invite (and who you actually want to show up), can influence your entire wedding. Your wedding location/venue is typically the most expensive part of your wedding – so, choose a place that you love!
Hire a Planner or DIY it
Shutterstock.com // unidentified
Already overwhelmed? Planning a wedding is probably one of the most stressful things ever. With so many deadlines, research, and deadlines to be made, it can start to feel like work! If you’re easily overwhelmed, not sure where to start or just don’t have the extra time to plan it all yourself, a wedding planner is the way to go.
If you’re not sure whether you need a wedding planner or not, ask yourself these questions:
- Do we work full-time jobs/have a full schedule?
- Is there a quick deadline for the wedding?
- Do we have a strict budget?
- Do we know the right questions to ask/ how to handle vendors?
- Are we getting married far from home?
- Am I not excited about planning and just want someone else to do it?
Wedding planning isn’t for everyone. It’s better to hire help sooner rather than later. If you have a feeling that planning your wedding might be too overwhelming for you and your partner, it might be time to hire a wedding planner.
Decide on a Budget
BrideStory.com
This really is the big question. How much are you willing/able to spend. Unless you’re one of the Carters, you should set a number for your wedding and get ready to stick to it.
Things to Factor in when deciding on your wedding budget:
- Who’s contributing (just you and your future husband or will the family be helping)?
- Decide on things you want and don’t need (from a hair and makeup squad to the luxury car to the day of).
- Estimate how many people will come
- Do your research (how much does the average venue charge per person)?
- Where are we having the wedding?
- What are the non-negotiable (I absolutely need a cheese fountain)?
- What are you willing to go without?
Try your best to come up with a realistic number – do your research, and find out what things cost in your area (venues, dresses, décor, etc.). Finally, get ready to set your budget. After you have the big number, get ready to divide your budget for each portion of your wedding. The majority of your budget should be dedicated to the venue, food & beverage, and your photographer/videographer – and the remainder of the budget should be divided among the less important factors (like décor or midnight cupcake carts).
Get a Planning Resource
Whether you’ve decided to go with a wedding planner or not, having a wedding planning resource to look back to can help keep you organized. The last thing you want to do is to show up for your wedding and realize you forgot to hire or even pay one of your vendors.
Having a wedding planning book is one of the best investments that you can make.
Here are a few of the best wedding planning books:
Pick a Theme
I always like to pick a theme before I start to plan any type of event (birthday party, baby shower, work party, etc). I find that it makes so much easier when you have an idea to follow. Your theme can be anything that you want it to be! Maybe you have a favorite movie as a couple or book, even using a simple color theme can be so helpful!
Check out the Wedding Trends for 2019 + Wedding Inspiration HERE.
Pick a Date
March 1st, or November 16th? Your wedding day is the day that it all goes down! Thinking back to your dream wedding, budget, and location, choose a date that will be your future anniversary!
The most popular months for weddings are:
April, June, September, and October
That being said, these are also the most popular wedding months. If your wedding date falls within one of those months, you might want to get started sooner rather than later on your wedding planning.
Follow Inspiration Pages
Before you get started on the planning it always helps to get the perfect idea of exactly what you want. Pinterest is my number one favorite spot for all thing’s inspiration! When I first started thinking about our wedding, I was dead set on having a beach wedding in the Caribbean – but after looking through Pinterest, and seeing pictures of my dream wedding, I totally changed my mind! I love scrolling through and getting ideas for our big day.
Follow my wedding planning on Pinterest HERE!
Plan Dates with your Fiancée to Avoid Stress
Let’s not forget about the reason you’re doing all of this. Planning a wedding can get kind of hectic, especially if you’re on different pages. Set aside some dates throughout your wedding planning period to be engaged. Having a regular date night or weekend getaways helps grow your love and prepare you for married life.
Go to The National Bridal Show
Going to a wedding show is the BEST thing that you can do when you’re ready to start planning your wedding. Wedding Shows are set up in large convention halls and have lots of different exhibitors from your area. Before you start to plan your wedding, go to a bridal show to get some in-person advice, and meet amazing vendors (like photographers, caterers, and more). It’s also a good reality check – I had no idea all of the things that we need to do and all of the vendors that we need to meet before we went to The National Bridal Show. Going to the National Bridal Show, helped me connect with vendors, get wedding ideas, learn more about planning and even scored me some great coupons! The National Bridal Show in Toronto is my favorite wedding show that I’ve been to!
The National Bridal Show is taking place on February 1-3, 2019 at the Enercare Center in Toronto! Right now, the first 3000 brides to register to receive a free ticket to the show! Plus, you can use my code ‘MONIKA’ to score $3 off tickets online!
Click HERE to get your free bride ticket!
YOU CAN’T WAIT EITHER?
I’m giving away a pair of tickets on my Instagram feed (click HERE) to one lucky couple! All you have to do to enter is click on THIS LINK to get to the post.
- Like the image
- Follow me @monika.boch and @nationalbridal
- Comment your favorite wedding emoji
Bonus entry: tag who you’re taking to the show!
Click HERE to get your free bride ticket!
